Machine for tufting mattresses and similar articles



April 2, 1957 D. F. FRASER 2,787,230

MACHINE FOR TUFTING MATTRESSES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. DAVID F. FRA ER BY W 5% April 2, 1957 D. F. FRASER 2,787,230

MACHINE FOR TUFTING MATTRESSES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 [FIG IO ONE 70 I98 SECOND TIME .DELAY R \LAY RELAY THROWOUTZO 266 204 a CYCLE STOP 202 A C VOLTAGE 250 BoosTEFz' STOP BOOSTER I START HOV-AC INVENTOR. DAVID E FRASER A ril 2, 1957 D. F. FRASER 8 0 MACHINE FOR TUFTING MATTRESSES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1955 4 Sheets-$heet 3 INVENTOR.

-DAVID F. FRASER A ril 2, 1957 D. F. FRASER 2,787,230

MACHINE FOR TUFTING MATTRESSES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. DAVID F, FRASER g BY 2% MACHINE FOR TUFTING MATTRESSES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES David F. Fraser, Weymouth, Mass., assignor to United Mattress Machinery Co., Inc., Quincy, Mass, a corporation of Maine Application June 16, 1955, Serial No. 515,832

9 Claims. (Cl. 112-3) The present invention relates to a machine for tufting mattresses and similar articles, and more particularly to a control mechanism which will be automatically responsive to particular conditions arising during machine oper ation to stop the machine.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a mechanism which will be automatically responsive to the failure of the machine to properly form and position a tuft in the mattress to stop the machine.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide in a button tufting machine for use in tufting mattresses and similar articles a mechanism which will be automatically responsive to the failure of the machine to properly tie-in either button or otherwise to form a completed tuft to arrest the operation of the machine.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a machine stop mechanism which will act automatically in response to an initial impulse imparted to the start and stop lever of the machine to a stop position to automatically complete the stopping cycle including the movement of the stop lever to a locking position.

The invention is herein disclosed as embodied in a mattress button tufting machine of the general type having a U-shaped frame, including an overarm and an underarm support, a presser mechanism for compressing a portion of the mattress to be tufted, a needle mechanism for passing a tie element in the form of a pair of lacing cords upwardly through the compressed mattress, and button supply and knot tying mechanism located respectively on the machine overarm and in the machine underarm for tying buttons to the tie elements above and beneath the mattress. In operation the pressing mechanism operates to compress the mattress, the needle rises through the mattress to insert the tie element, the upper button is tied to the tie element and is then tensioned downwardly against the upper side of the mattress as the needle is withdrawn, the lower button is tied to the tieelement and the presser foot is finally raised allowing the mattress to expand so that the lower button of the tuft is drawn upwardly against the undersurface of the mattress.

In accordance with a feature of the invention a trip device is provided which is actuated only by the movement of the lower button of the completed tuft into a position against the mattress to condition the machine for continued operation. In the event that either button is not tied so that the tuft is not fully formed and therefore cannot be drawn into its final mattress supporting position, a machine stop mechanism becomes operative automatically to stop the machine.

It will be understood that while in the preferred form the invention is applied to a button tufting machine, the invention in its broader aspects is equally applicable to tufting machines of other description as, for example, lace tufting machines in which the trip mechanism referred to would be made responsive to a failure of a lace tuft to be fully formed preparatory to being drawn into its mattress supporting position.

. nitcd S tes Patent F 2,787,230 Patented Apr. 2, 1957 With the above and other objects in view as may hereinafter appear the several features of the invention consist also in the devices, combinations, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described and claimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in left side elevation of a button tufting machine embodying in a preferred form the several features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a somewhat fragmentary plan view illustrating the driving connections in the base of the machine, the start and stop lever, the air cylinder for power movement of the lever, and the electrical control devices for automatically stopping the machine in the event of failure of the tuft forming mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a somewhat fragmentary isometric view of the button tying mechanism located in the machine underarm with the cover plate removed, the parts being shown in the position taken after the upper button has been tied-in and drawn down into the mattress and the lower button has been similarly tied-in and has been withdrawn upwardly from the knot tying assembly;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the button tying mechanism shown in Fig. 3 with the parts in the same position, but with the cover plate in place and illustrating the trip member as it is raised by the button being withdrawn to render the machine stop mechanism inoperative;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an isometric projection of the button holding and knot tying assembly shown generally in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan View of an alternate form of the trip member of that shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the air cylinder and connections therefrom for shifting the hand lever automatically between running and stop positions, the parts being on a larger scale than corresponding parts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a view in front elevation of substantially the parts shown in Fig. 8 with parts broken away to show underlying parts; and

Fig. 10 is an electrical diagram of the electrical controls shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a button tufting machine which embodies in a preferred form the several features of the invention is shown comprising a base 2% having a forwardly extending underarm 22 and overarm 24 in which are housed the several instrumentalities for making a button tuft. Inasmuch as the button tufting mechanism is well known, this mechanism will be described only so far as necessary to indicate the connection of the invention therewith. The tufting mechanism includes a vertically disposed hollow needle 26 mounted in the under arm on a vertically movable slide 28, and a compression yoke 39 carried on parallel vertically disposed racks 32 mounted in the overarm 24. A button supply and knot tying unit is provided in each of the overarm and underarm. A somewhat fragmentary disclosure of one of these button supply and knot tying units which are identical in construction, is provided in Figs. 3-6 of the drawings. The upper unit consists of a button magazine 34 and a knot tying mechanism not specifically shown driven from a cam shaft 36. The button magazine and knot tying unit located in the underarm consists of a button magazine 38 and a knot tying mechanism, more fully illustrated in Figs. 3-6, which is driven by means of a cam shaft 40, see Fig. 3. The several operating instrumentalities of the button tufter are driven from an electric motor 44 mounted on a bracket 46 on the machine base. The motor 44 is connected to drive a clutch memher 455 loosely mounted to turn on a transversely extending cross shaft 5t) by means of a belt 52 which rides on a motor driven pulley 54, and a pulley 56 mounted on the drive shaft to turn with the driving clutch member 48. A driven clutch element 53 is keyed to the cross shaft Silwhich is operativcly connected by means of gears 62, 64 todrive a cross drive shaft 66. A gear 68 on shaft 66 meshes with a large gear 70 mounted on the main cam shaft 72 of the machine.

The gear 70 has formed on the opposite faces thereof two closed cam tracks, one of which receives a follower roll 74 on a cam follower lever 76 for imparting reciproeating movements to the needle 26. The other cam track receives a follower roll 78 on a cam follower lever 80 for imparting vertical positioning movements to the compression yoke 30 which is thus driven in timed relation to the reciprocating movements of the needle 26. The cam follower lever 76 is supported on a pivot 82 and at its forward end is connected by a link 84 with a rocker lever 86 in turn connected at its forward end to the needle slide 28.

The cam follower lever 80 from which the compression yoke 39 is driven, is supported to turn in a pivot 87, and at its outer or rearward end is provided with adjustable sleeve 83 which is connected by a vertically extending link 96 with one arm of a bell crank 92 supported to turn on a pivot 94 in the overarm 24. The other arm of the bell crank is connected to one end of a link or thrust bar 96, the forward end of which has formed thereon a rack 98. Longitudinal movement imparted to the thrust bar 96 and rack 98 is effective to move the compression yoke 3-9 vertically through connections which include a horizontally disposed pinion 1th) meshing with the rack 98 and also with the vertical rack bars 32.

The two button supply and knot tying units are driven in synchronism with one another and with the needle and compression yoke above described through connections from the drive shaft 66 which include a worm gear 104 on the shaft 66 which meshes with a worm 106 on a horizontally disposed drive shaft 108 which extends forwardly from the base along the underarm 22. At its forward end the shaft 108 is fitted with an adjustable coupling 109 which is connected by means of a sprocket chain 110 and sprocket gears with the cam shaft db of the lower button supply knot tying unit. Toward its rear end the shaft 1% is connected by means of a sprocket chain 112 and associated sprockets with a shaft 114 in the overarm 24-. At its forward end the shaft 114 is connected by means of an adjustable coupling 116 with the cam shaft as associated with the upper button supply and knot tying unit.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the machine is provided with a forwardly extending hand lever 120 pivoted at 122 to a bracket on the underarm member 22. At its rear end the lever 124i is connected by means of a cross link 124 with a clutch shifting lever 126 which is in turn connected to control the position of the shiftable clutch member 4-3. The elements of the clutch and of the connections with the hand lever 12d are so arranged that movement of the hand lever 120 to the left acts to disengage the clutch, and movement of the hand lever to the right causes the clutch to be engaged.

The lower button supply and knot tying mechanism housed within the underarm 22 includes a loop turner and knotter jaw unit specifically shown in Fig. 6, consisting of a loop turner 13f) which is a tubular element having on its external periphery an alongated pinion 132 and at its forward end a pair of button holding jaws 134 and a pair of knotter jaws 136. At its rear end the looper turner has mounted thereon flanged elements to provide a shifting lever engaging channel 138. The cooperating knotter jaw, generally designated at 140 is formed with a button engaging element 142 and with a thread holding jaw 144 adapted to cooperate with the thread holding jaws 136 of the loop turner. The knotter jaw is further provided with a rearwardly disposed stem 145 which is supported within the tubular loop turner 130 and is provided at its rearward end with flanged elements providing a shifting lever engaging channel 146. The loop turner and knotter jaw unit, above described, is supported for longitudinal and rotational movement within a housing 148 which has formed in one side thereof a button receiving aperture 150, a hook receiving aperture 152, a button knockout member receiving aperture 154, and a rack lever receiving aperture 155.

The mechanism for moving the elements of the loop turner and knotter jaw unit and the cooperating button supply and loop drawing instrumentalities of the knot tying assembly are controlled from a. number of cams on the cam shaft 40, previously referred to. As best shown in Fig. 3 a cam disk 156 mounted on shaft 40 has peripheral and face cam tracks for operating a cam shift lever 158 engaging with the channel 138 for imparting longitudinal movements to the loop turner and a cam shift lever 160 engaging with the channel 146 for imparting' longitudinal movements to the knotter jaw 140. R0- tational movements are imparted to the loop turner and knotter jaw assembly by means of a rack lever 162 which passes through the aperture 155 to engage the underside of the pinion 1G2 and is controlled by means of a face cam track on a cam disk 164 on the cam shaft 49. There is also mounted on the shaft 40 a button supply disk 166 which is provided onthe peripheral surface thereof with means not specifically shown for moving buttons successively from the magazine 38 into position through the button receiving aperture 150. Face cam tracks on the two sides of the button supply disk 166 are employed to operate a button knock-out lever 168' and a button threading hook lever 170 and hook 172 supported thereon.

The operation of the loop turner and buttonjaw assembly and associated elements to tie the lower button to the tie element of the tuft will be briefly described as follows:

First, the loop turner 130 is moved rearwardly and rotated 520 to a button receiving position in which the button 173 will be received in the rearward aperture 174 of the assembly, and the eye of the button will be located between the two button holding jaws 134. The knotter jaw 140 is now moved forwardly to cause the button holding element 142 to hold the button. The entire unit is moved forward and turned '20 to align the cross hook 172 with the button eye. The hook then moves forwardly and back to engage with and draw a bight of the tie cords through the eye into a wed'ging position in the side of the housing 148. The loop turner 130 is now moved rearwardly a sufiicient distance to provide slack for the formation of a knot, and is then rotated 470 forming a bight or half hitch about the knotter jaws 136. The loop turner is then moved forward so that the open knotter jaw has the gripped end of the tie cords between it and the loop turner 134 The knotter jaw 140 is now moved relatively rearwardly to grip this end and to release the button. At the same time, the button threading hook lever is rocked slightly to release the cord ends which have been severed by means not specifically shown. The loop turner is now rotated about 70 more, so that the opening into which the button was deposited is now in an upright position. Finally, the compression head 30 of the machine rises, so that the mattress compressed thereby is permitted to expand and thus pulls the tied button from the knotter mechanism upwardly against the underside of the mattress.

The means provided in accordance with the present invention for detecting any failure of the machine to properly form a button tuft and thereupon for stopping the machine, consists of a machine stop device which is adapted to Operate periodically at a predetermined point in each tuft forming cycle, and, if. the operation. of the device is not suspended, to render themachinestop motion operative to stop the machine. The machine stop device referred to is constructed and arranged to operate in combination with a detector device which is actuated by the movement of the lower button as it is drawn upwardly against the underside of the mattress at the completion of the button tuft forming operation, and acts to suspend the operation of, and thereby to prevent the machine stop device from becoming operative to stop the machine. In the event that the tuft is not properly formed as, for example, if the upper button is not tied into position, or if the lower button is not tied to the connecting cords the lower button will not be drawn upwardly and the machine stop device is then permitted to operate to, stop the machine.

The detector device comprises a flat plate or door 180 secured along one edge to a hinge pin 182 mounted in bearings 184, 186 formed in a cover plate 188 which overlies the housing 148 and adjacent portions of the knot tying device. The door 180 is arranged to partially cover an aperture 190 formed in the top of the housing 148 and an overlying aperture 192 formed in the cover plate 188 through which the lower button of the completed tuft is drawn out of its knot tying position in the loop turner and knotter jaw assembly. The arrangement of these parts is such that when the tie cords 194 are drawn upwardly the knotted end portion of the cord tied into the button eye causes the button to slide bodily upwardly, being guided between the button holding jaws 134 of the loop turner 130. The button rises to the position shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 thus causing the door 180 to be swung upwardly. The illustrated swinging movement of the door 180 is utilized to operate a microswitch which in turn operates through an electric holding circuit to prevent the machine stop device from op erating to stop the operation of the machine. As previously noted, in the event that the upper button is not tied, no tensioning strain will then be placed on the tie cord 194 and the button will not then be raised. Similarly, failure to tie the lower button would cause the cords 194 to be pulled upwardly without raising the lower button and without disturbing the position of the door 180. In either case as hereinafter more fully set forth, the machine stop device will then operate automatically to stop the machine. Referring specifically to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the hinge 182 is provided at one end with an offset portion 196 which is arranged with the upward movement of the door to be brought into engagement with a micro-switch 198.

The momentary closing of the detector device microswitch 198 acts to energize a time delay relay 200 which in turn operates to open a normally closed switch 202 and which is adjusted to hold the circuit open for a suitable length of time, preferably one second.

In the event of a failure of the tuft forming mechanism to properly form and draw in a tuft, indicated as above described, by a failure of a button to be drawn upwardly through the door 181) and by a consequent failure of the micro-switch 198 to close, the time delay relay control switch 202 remains closed, and a stop switch 204 which functions at a predetermined point at each successive operation of the machine will close a machine stop circuit to shift the start and stop lever 120 of the machine to its stop position and thus to stopv the machine. As best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7, the cyclically operated machine stop switch 204 takes the form of a micro-switch mounted in the base of the machine to be engaged periodically by a cam segment 206 secured to the drive shaft 72 of the machine.

For stopping the machine a solenoid controlled air cylinder 210 is provided having a piston element 212 which acts through a lever shifting slide 213 to shift the start and stop lever 120 from the dot-and-dash running position shown in 2 to the full line stop position in that figure. The air cylinder is controlled by means of an electrically operated four-way valve 214' which is in turn controlled by means of a booster start micro-switch 216, and a booster stop switch 218.

Referring specifically to Figs. 2, 8 and 9 it will be noted that the air cylinder 210 is rigidly mounted on a bracket 220 which is in turn secured to a vertically depending plate 222 secured by bolts 224 to the front rail 226 of the mattress supporting table of the machine. A lost motion connection is provided between the piston 212 and slide 213, the piston being slidably guided in an aperture formed in a lug 230 on the slide 213. The slide 213 is slidably mounted on the vertical. plate 222 for forward and back movement with the piston 212 within two brackets 234 secured to the vertical plate 222, and has formed in the upper edge thereof a hand lever engaging notch 236 adapted to receive the forwardly projecting hand lever 120. The hand lever is arranged to project also through a window aperture 238 formed in the depending plate 222, said aperture being of sufficient height and width to permit free movement of the hand lever forwardly and back therein. A threaded sleeve stop member 240 is adjustably mounted on the piston 212 at one side of the lug 230 and a stop nut 242 is similarly threaded to the piston 212 at the opposite side of the lug 230 thus providing a lost motion connection by means of which movement of the piston 212 is effective to shift the slide 232 to the alternative limit position.

The arrangement of the hand lever 120 and the slide 213 is such as to permit the starting and stopping of the machine to be initiated by manual movement of the hand lever 120 in each direction. The stopping of the machine may be controlled entirely by mechanical means, and power operated booster devices are provided to complete a manually initiated movement of the hand lever in each direction. To this end a booster stop switch 250 and a booster start switch 252 are provided which are mounted on opposite faces of the downwardly extending plate 222 so that their respective contact elements will engage the hand lever 120 when moved manually from one to the other position in either direction. The booster stop switch 218, as best shown in Fig. 9, is formed with a switch arm 254 to which is pivotally connected a downwardly extending contact member 256 for engagement against the laterally moving hand lever 12%. Assuming that the machine is in the running position, and that. the hand lever 120 is in the notch '236 located in the full line position shown at the right in Fig. 9, the operator, to stop the machine, will raise the hand lever out of the notch and move it to the left causing the contact member 256 to be engaged therewith, thus raising the switch arm 254 to close the booster stop switch. The air cylinder 210 is thus conditioned to move the piston 212 to the left carrying with it the slide 213 so that the hand lever 120 is again engaged in the notch 236 and is moved positively to its stop position shown in the dot and dash positions to the left in Fig. 9. During the return movement of the hand lever in the opposite direction to start the machine, the pivotally supported contact arm 256 will turn about its pivot so that the booster stop switch is not then operated. In starting the machine, a similar mode of operation is employed in which a manual movement of the hand lever 120 from left to right will cause the booster start switch 216 to be actuated, so that the piston 212 is moved to the right carrying with it slide 213. The hand lever 120 is thus engaged again in its notch 236, and is moved positively with the slide 213 to the stop position at the right.

The operation of the detector device to automatically stop the machine, in the event that the tuft is not properly formed and drawn against the fabric will be briefly de scribed in connection with the illustration of the electrical connections shown in Figs. 2 and 10 as follows: The electrical control circuit shown is supplied from a volt main line circuit through a transformer 260 which reduces the voltage to 8 volts. The piston 212 of the air cylinder. 219. is moved. leftwardly to itsv stop position through connections which include a solenoid 262 associated with the four-wayair valve 214 for the air cylinder. The piston 212 is moved in the opposite direction to the right to shift the machine to running position by means of connections which include a solenoid 264 connected with the four-way valve 214. For energizing the stop solenoid 262 a circuit is provided which comprises a lead 2%, the cyclically operated stop switch 204, a lead 263, the normally closed contact 202 of the time delay relay 200, a lead 270, and a ground 272. The detector circuit includes the detector micro-switch 198, a lead 2-74 connecting with the time delay relay 200, and a ground 276. The booster stop switch circuit includes the booster stop switch 250 connected at one side of the lead 266 and at its other side with a lead 274 The booster start switch 216 is connected at one side with the lead 26.6 and at its other side with a lead 278 with the start solenoid 264 associated with the four-way valve 2140f the air cylinder 21d.

Assuming that the machine is in operation, when each tuft is formed the button will be drawn upwardly through the aperture 90 causing the door 1 8% to be raised closing micro-switch 198. The closing of micro-switch 1-98 closes a circuit momentarily through the time delay relay 209 which operates immediately to open normally closed switch contact 292 in the machine stop circuit and maintains this open position during the time interval for which the time delay relay is adjusted as, for example, one second. While this switch 202 is open the cyclically operated switch 204 in the machine stop circuit will be closed momentarily by the engagement of the cam segment 206 on the cam shaft 72 therewith. Since the switch cont-act 292 is now open in response to the signal given by the closing of the detector device micro-switch 198, the machine stop circuit is not energized and the machine operation continues.

In the event that the tuft forming mechanism fails in any respect to form and to draw in a tuft as, for example, by failure of either the upper or lower button tying devices to tie a button, the button 173 will not be raised through the aperture 1% and the micro'switch 198 will not be actuated to energize the time delay relay 276. The time delay relay contact 292 in the machine stop circuit therefore remains closed. When now the cyclically operated micro-switch 2% is closed by the operation of cam 2%, the machine stop circuit is closed so that solenoid262 associated with air valve 210 is energized and the piston 212 is moved to the left carrying with it the hand lever 12% to the stop position, to stop the machine.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. In a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine, a tufting mechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including a device for compressing together the two faces of the article to be tufted and thereafter for releasing said faces of the article from said compression, means to pass a tie element from one to the other face of said article through said compressed portion of the article, means securing said tie element to form the fully formed tuft between the two faces of said article, a trip device located to be engaged by and actuated by a tensing movement of the completed tuft against the two faces of the fabric upon said release of said faces from compression, and means responsive to the operation of the trip device to condition the driving and stopping mechanism for the performance of a further recurrin cycle of operation of the machine.

2. in a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine, a tufting mechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including a device for compressing together the two faces of a portion of the article to be tufted and thereafter for releasing said faces of the article from said compression, means to pass a tie element from one to the other face of said article through, said compressed portion of the article, means for securing said tie element to form and to tense, the fully formed tuft between the two faces of said article, a control device operable at a predetermined point in each succeeding cycle to stop the machine, and a trip device located to be engaged by a completed tuft for rendering said control device inoperative to stop the machine.

3. In a machine for tuftin g mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine, a tufting mechanism operable in ac cordance with a recurring cycle of operations including a device for compressing together the two faces of a portion of the article to be tufted and thereafter for releasing said faces of the article from said compression, means to pass a tie element from one face to the other of the article through said compressed portion of the article, means for securing a button to said tie element at each face of said article, a control device operable at a predc termined point in each succeeding cycle to stop the machine, and a trip device located to be engaged by and actuated by a tensing movement of the latterly attached button against the face of the article for rendering said control device inoperative to stop the machine.

4. In a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping clutch for the machine, a tufting mechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including a device for compressing together the two faces of the portion of the article to be tufted and thereafter for releasing said faces of the article from said compression, means to pass a tie element from one face of the article to the other through said compressed portion of the article, means for tying a button to said tie element above the article, means for supporting and for securing a button to the tie element beneath the article, a control device operable in each succeeding cycle for actuating said clutch to stop the machine in a predetermined stop position, and a trip device comprising a trip member arranged to be shifted by movement of the lower button against the face of the article, and means rendered operative by the movement of said trip member for rendering said control device inoperative to stop the machine.

5. In a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine including a clutch, a tufting mechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including a device for compressing together the two faces of the portion of the article to be tufted and thereafter for releasing said faces of the article from said compression, means to pass a tie element from one face of the article to the other through said compressed portion of the article, means for tying buttons successively to the tie element at each side of the article, a hand lever for shifting the clutch, power means for shifting the hand lever and clutch from running to stop position, electrical means operative in each successive cycle to stop the machine in a predetermined stop position, a trip device comprising a trip member arranged to be shifted by movement of the latterly tied button against the face of the article, and electrical connections actuated by the shifting of said trip device to render the electrical means inoperative to stop the machine.

6. In a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine including a clutch, 1a tufting mechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including a device for compressing together the two faces of the portion of the article to be tufted and thereafter for releasing said faces of the article from said compression, means to pass a tie element from one face of the article to the other through said compressed portion of the article, means for tying buttons successively to the tie element at each side of the article, a hand lever for shifing the clutch, an air cylinder connected to shift the hand lever and clutch from running to stop position, electrical connections for actuating the air cylinder including a circuit closing switch rendered operative at a predetermined point in each successive cycle, a trip device comprising a trip member arranged to be shifted by movement of the latterly tied button against the face of the article, and electrical connections including a switch controlled by the movement of said trip member to render the electrical stop circuit inoperative to stop the machine.

7. In a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine including a clutch, a tuftingmechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including means to pass a tie element from one to the other side of said article, and means securing said tie element to form and to tense the fully formed tuft between the two faces of said article, a trip device located to be engaged by and actuated by the tensing movement of the completed tuft, a hand lever connected with the clutch shiftable between running and stop positions, an air cylinder shiftable between running and stop positions, and a slide connected with the air cylinder having hand lever shifting abutments thereon, electrical connections for actuating the air cylinder to shift the cylinder and hand lever therewith to stop position including a stop circuit closing switch rendered operative in each successive cycle, and electrical connections including a switch controlled by the movement of said trip device to render the electrical stop circuit inoperative to stop the machine.

8. A machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine including a clutch, a tufting mechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including a device for compressing together the two faces of the article to be tufted and thereafter for releasing the faces of the article from said compression, means to pass a tie element from one face of 'the :article to the other through said compressed portion of the article, and means securing said tie element to form the fully formed tuft between the two faces of said article, a hand lever connected with the clutch shiftable between running and stop positions, an air cylinder shiftable between alternative running and stop positions, and a slide connected therewith having hand lever engaging abutments, and electrical connections for actuating the air cylinder including a booster stop switch disposed to be actuated by a movement of the hand lever toward the stop position for shifting the air cylinder and hand lever therewith to the stop position.

9. In a machine for tufting mattresses and like articles, the combination of a driving and stopping mechanism for the machine, a tufting mechanism operable in accordance with a recurring cycle of operations including means to pass a tie element from one to the other side of said article, and means for securing said tie element to form a fully formed tuft under tension between the two faces of said article, a control device operable at a predetermined point in each succeeding cycle to stop the machine, and a trip device located to be engaged by and actuated by the completed tuft under said tension to render said control device inoperative to stop the machine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,098,785 Mathewson Nov. 9, 1937 

